Morning by Morning—Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Morning by Morning, May 22 - No Fence of Offense in Christ

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are here-here with me, here within me, here in all the fullness of the presence of God-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ...

"(Jesus) left that place and came to His hometown, and His disciples followed Him. On the Sabbath He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astounded. They said, 'Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been give to Him? What deeds of power are being done by His hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not His sisters here with us?' And they took offense at Him. Then Jesus said to them, 'Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.' And He could do no deed of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and cured them. And He was amazed at their unbelief" (Mark 6:1-6).

There was a fence of offense that keep the people of Nazareth from receiving the blessings of Your grace and love. Their unbelief limited Your power. Their familiarity hindered their honor and restricted their respect. So You moved on to other places and other people who would welcome You and Your message of hope and healing (v. 6b).

Lord Jesus, I want to grow in my familiarity and intimacy with You. I want to be able to say with integrity and truth that "(I) know that the Son of God has come and has given (me) understanding so that (I) may know Him who is true; and (I am) in Him who is true, n His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:18). "Thanks be to God, who in Christ Jesus always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing Him" (2 Corinthians 2:14).

But in knowing You, I want to always honor You, respect You, and treasure You. Let me never take You for granted or doubt Your greatness. Let there never be a fence of offense between us and never allow doubt and unbelief to creep into my heart or my faith to block Your blessings into my life. Let my heart be wide open to welcome You in to every moment of my life and every part of my life. By the power of Your grace, may I "be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:10-11 KJV). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend, I pray your heart is open wide to Jesus, with no fence of offense between your heart and His, with no blockages to His blessings in any area of your life, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!